Yusui Chang'an

Chapter 1323 Father and son turn against each other
Although Uncle Hong'an's wife had died, he felt a sense of relief and joy at being able to take good care of his two children.

But after all, they have been married for many years, and he also felt some grief and doubt. He was wondering if his wife had faked her death to scare him, but accidentally went too far and the fake death became real.

After hearing the question, he immediately understood his son's suspicion, and the father and son started arguing.

No matter how Earl Hong'an explained, Zhu Dianhua would not listen. He only asked about the source of the spices and wanted to investigate it himself.

Hong'an Bo had no choice but to drive out all the terrified servants in the room. After no one was left alive, he said that the incense used by his first wife had always been given to him privately by the King of Jin, and there had never been any mistakes:

"Prince Jin had no reason to harm your mother. Someone must have done something bad. There must be someone else who did it, but we haven't found out yet."

When Zhu Dianhua thought of Chu Chengyao secretly releasing the men he sent to capture Xing'er from the death row and using them to threaten him, he became more certain that Chu Chengyao was involved in this matter, and he immediately went to the Prince of Jin's Mansion to get to the bottom of it.

Hong Anbo used the safety of the whole mansion to persuade his son, but his son became even more angry:

"You are the one who formed a clique for personal gain! Now my mother has been eliminated by you, and I might be the next one. Who will care about the safety of your family?!"

Seeing that he couldn't persuade his son no matter what he did, Lord Hong'an could only call the guards to tie up his son temporarily, and then ordered the court doctor to make a bowl of calming medicine and give it to his son.

Hearing his son's loud cursing, Uncle Hongan covered his head and cried out that it was misfortune for his family.

At dawn, the news of the sudden death of the wife of Lord Hong'an spread. With Qin Zongliang's early arrangements, within half a day, the rumor that Lord Hong'an poisoned his wife in anger when his wife refused to let his concubine and her child into the mansion because the child's origin was unknown spread completely among the people.

After quarreling with his son for half the night and being so angry that he couldn't sleep, Lord Hong'an discussed his wife's funeral with the housekeeper. When he woke up after a nap of an hour or so, he felt dizzy and the rumor was already known to almost everyone.

The people sent to investigate the rumor spread only found that the rumor was spreading simultaneously in teahouses, taverns, and crowded streets, and they could not find the source.

Upon hearing this, Earl Hong'an knew that someone must be targeting him deliberately, so he quickly asked his confidant to go to Prince Jin's mansion to pass on the message, asking Chu Chengyao to help him track it down.

The news did reach the Prince of Jin's Mansion, but Chu Chengyao was summoned into the palace.

Qin Zongliang, the manipulator behind the development of events, had no time to review his achievements. He had been waiting outside the palace gate early during the morning court session. After the court finished discussing government affairs, he was summoned into the hall to await the emperor's decision for the assassination of Lin Jinyan.

Chen Qingshan, the prefect of Jingzhao Prefecture, presented the evidence of Qin Zongliang's crime in a clear and orderly manner. After he finished speaking, he heard the emperor ask whether he pleaded guilty. Qin Zongliang cried out that he was innocent.

Using the pass evidence previously presented by the crown prince, it was revealed that Chu Chengyao had teamed up with the people of Mobei and intended to kill his father and seize the throne.

Hearing this, all the officials sighed, and many ministers stood up to accuse him of maliciously slandering the prince in order to escape punishment. Qin Zongliang spoke earnestly:
"I am not making up stories. Your Majesty can check the people or guards who were close to the princes on the day of the assassination on the Spring Farmers' Day. The Prince of Jin, who usually never stood out, was following the Crown Prince closely that day, contrary to his usual behavior.

I infer that His Royal Highness the Prince of Jin must have planned this long in advance. If the assassination succeeds, he will take advantage of the chaos to kill the Crown Prince and several other princes and seize the throne. If it fails, the assassination will just help him break the situation.”